Nick Clegg under pressure over £110,000 election strategist on government pay roll

Ryan Coetzee, a former South African MP, is Nick Clegg’s director of strategy,
and the best-paid Liberal Democrat special adviser

Ryan Coetzee earns around £110,000

By Georgia Graham, Matthew Holehouse

10:11AM BST 15 Apr 2014

Nick Clegg is under pressure to explain why a Liberal Democrat election strategist is on the government pay roll.

Ryan Coetzee, a former South African MP credited with the success of the opposition Democratic Alliance, earns around £110,000 as Nick Clegg’s director of strategy, making him the best-paid Liberal Democrat special adviser.

He is understood to advise Mr Clegg on detailed polling about prospective Liberal Democrat voters and has given advice that has shaped his speeches on Europe, education and the environment.

He has also been credited with the idea of challenging Nigel Farage to last month’s televised debates, a clear bid to boost Mr Clegg’s profile ahead of the European elections.

His role has been compared to that of Lynton Crosby, the Tory’s campaign strategist dubbed the ‘Wizard of Oz’ for his string of electoral successes on behalf of the Australian Liberal Party. Mr Crosby’s salary, however, is paid by the Conservative Party.

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Special advisers, who act as temporary civil servants, owe their allegiance to their ministers’ party. However, the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers states: “They should avoid anything which might reasonably lead to criticism that people paid from public funds are being used for party political purposes.”

Mr Clegg defended Mr Coetzee’s role. He told a press conference in Westminster: “It is not unusual for politicians in Government to, of course, get support on what are the main concerns of the British public, how can we address them, and that is exactly what we are doing.”

Sheila Gilmore, the Labour MP for Edinburgh East, said: “There are now very serious questions for Nick Clegg to answer over whether Mr Coetzee has been working on Lib Dem election strategy while being paid to perform official government duties.

“If the Lib Dems are using the public payroll to support their party political activity this would be a breach of the rules an abuse of public trust. Nick Clegg must conclusively demonstrate that the code of conduct for advisers has not been broken.”

In South Africa Mr Coetzee was both a Member of Parliament and Chief Executive for the Democratic Alliance, the main opposition to the ruling ANC.

Since taking on the role in September 2012 he has taken close control of the party’s polling operation and is pushing hard for the party to have a long-term strategy to increase its core vote.

A senior Liberal Democrat source said Mr Coetzee abides by the code of conduct and his salary is published online. He added: “What he does is ensure that the Government’s message and priorities are in line with the Liberal Democrats’.”